U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,936 teaches dental cement mixtures containing polymerizable unsaturated monomers and/or oligomers and/or prepolymers containing acid groups and/or their reactive acid-derivative groups. However, the polymerizable compounds taught are directed toward those of relatively high molecular weight as compared to the very specific and advantageous specific class of compounds of the present invention. U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,756 relates to similar aromatic based compositions employed in dentistry.
By an aspect of the invention a new group of dental materials is provided that are kind to the patient, nontoxic and give superior adhesion to dentin, enamel and bone when properly formulated and that provide other favorable characteristics. The group of the preferred dental materials include especially cavity liner and bonding materials and filling materials.
The dental materials differ from earlier dental materials because they are based upon a new polymerizable composition system based upon a butane compound having in its preferred embodiments as primary preferred functional groups, olefins, more preferably (meth)acrylates and acid based radicals especially preferred is carboxylic acid and included are reactive acid derivative radicals. The butane (based) compound of this invention has the general formula: EQU (RO.sub.2 C).sub.x --C.sub.4 H.sub.6 --(CO.sub.2 R').sub.y
where is an acid radical or a reactive acid derivative and R' is a polymerizable unsaturated radical having from 2 to 13 C and x is 2 to 3 and y is 1 to 2.